The Secrets To Finding A Better Night's Sleep

UC DAVIS (CBS13) — The day is over and you're ready to snooze, but your cellphone is ready to keep you up at night.

"I don't think the average person has any idea what goes on," said Dr. Kimberly Hardin at UC Davis.

She says the devices that help us stay connected during the day can cause a disconnect with our brain when we use them too late at night.

"Because they're often reading their Kindle and so forth before they're going to bed thinking that is actually helping them go to sleep," she said.

The blue light from the devices reduces melatonin, a hormone that helps control sleep. Certain apps can reduce blue light and act as a Web browser.

A more serious condition costing previous sleep time is sleep apnea. The American Medical Association says 18 million Americans suffer from it.

"The person isn't actually able to get air through and so it causes you to wake up the brain and say hey you need to wake up," Hardin said.

The condition puts your body in a state of hyperalertness.

"So the next day you may feel exhausted even though you slept 10 hours," she said.

Roseville based California Sleep Solutions helps people identify and treat sleep apnea. They showed us a few examples of the more severe cases that lasted up to 30 to 45 seconds without breathing.

The most common treatment for sleep apnea is a device known as continuous positive airway pressure machine.

More and more, people are turning to their dentist to get a better night's sleep. A device helps expand the airway by bringing the jaw forward. Doctors warn the standard of care should be more than just getting an oral appliance from the dentist.

For those looking for a better night's sleep, turkey, bananas and crackers are at the top of the list of foods to enjoy before bedtime.